Infiltrating Phantomhive Manor
by fanwriter1245
Summary: A look into the mind of the young assassin who visits the Phantomhive Manor and quickly learns that not all is what it seems when it comes to Ciel and Sebastian. It appears this job will be much different from the others...
1. Chapter 1

**This got my vote for favorite episode. It was clearly made for fangirls such as myself.**

 **I know several other writers have done this sort of story before, but I couldn't help myself. I just LOVE delving into character's minds and showing readers how they view the world.**

 **I didn't want to use a name similar to Elizabeth, but Elicia just kept jumping out at me. She's named in honor of the daughter of one of my favorite anime character Maes Hughes. RIP Hughes.**

 **And I can totally see Grell screwing up Elicia's name with someone else's.**

* * *

As the carriage pulled up to the large manor, Elicia found that she was not nervous. After all, she usually wasn't nervous when she was working. Nervousness was not allowed on the job. And surely this job would be just as easy as any other.

"Here we are, dear," the young girl in front of her said. "This is the Phantomhive manor." She let out a small laugh once Elicia met her eyes.

It had been easy to gain Elizabeth Midford's trust. Almost too easy. The young girl was still so sweet and innocent and terribly naïve. That made her the perfect tool for Elicia to use to infiltrate the home of her target.

Elicia rather missed the days where she too was young and ignorant to the harsh ways of the world.

Those days were long gone.

The carriage came to a halt, and Elicia prepared for the butler she had heard Elizabeth talk about to come meet them. However, she was not prepared for someone so…perfect-looking to greet her. This man in front of her was basically the very definition of handsome. He had an elegant build with sleek, beautiful black hair. His eyes seemed to see straight into her soul like he wanted to devour it. A small smile graced his lips that made her feel at safe yet uneasy, protected yet vulnerable all at the same time.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Lady," he said to Elizabeth with a polite bow. "Do come inside."

His voice. It drifted to Elicia's ears like beautiful music that she never wanted to cease.

Who in the world was this man, and how was he possibly having this effect on her? After all, Elicia was not one to swoon so easily in the presence of a male. In fact, she hated men. So what was so different about this one?

Elizabeth took the man's awaiting hand. "Thank you, Sebastian." Sebastian helped Elizabeth out of the carriage. "Ciel, Ciel, Ciel!" Elizabeth squealed happily.

She immediately began bounding off to meet her fiancé Elicia had heard her talk endlessly about. At first, it was rather adorable to hear the way she talked about him. But after hours upon hours upon hours of listening to her incessant fawning, she wished the girl would just shut up and talk about something else. Nevertheless, she kept up her image and always smiled and nodded during their conversations.

Sebastian looked at Elicia. "We've been expecting you. Allow me, miss."

The butler held out his hand, and Elicia slowly took it before allowing him to help her out of the carriage. She looked up and saw Elizabeth standing with a young boy who looked her age.

"Here he is, dear," Elizabeth smiled. "Presenting Ciel, Earl Phantomhive."

So this was Ciel Phantomhive. Her target.

But…he was just a boy.

Sure she knew that he was going to be a boy from her orders and the fact that Elizabeth was his fiancée at her age, but she wasn't expecting him to be this…young. He couldn't have been older than thirteen. How could someone so young have a hired assassin after him?

His eyes were clouded over. The pure innocence and naiveté in Elizabeth's eyes were long gone from his own. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that had stolen away that innocence.

Elizabeth turned to Ciel while Elicia couldn't help but let her gaze drift over to Sebastian for a few seconds, still curious as to what made him so different from other men. "Ciel, this is the new friend I mentioned to you in my letter. We met at the ball last month, and I took an instant liking to her, and I felt sure that you would adore her as much as I do! I could not wait to introduce you, so I brought her along this afternoon!"

"What is an earl to do with you?" Ciel sighed. He smiled a little and approached Elicia. "Welcome to my estate, miss. I'm Ciel, the head of the Phantomhive household. I hope that you'll find tonight's ball an enjoyable experience. Sebastian, see that she has everything she needs."

"Certainly, my lord," Sebastian responded. He turned to face Elicia. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhives. I am at your service."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sebastian," Elicia said with a small nod."

"We pride ourselves on hospitality. We shall offer every comfort." He gestured to the front doors, and an older gentleman opened them to reveal the large foyer. "And now, welcome to the Phantomhive manor."

Perhaps this job was going to be a bit more difficult than she had anticipated…

Sebastian led Elicia to one of the many elaborate rooms. "We have prepared this guest room for you," he told her.

"It's very lovely," Elicia remarked.

"Lovely, you say? Thank you. I am so pleased."

Elicia slowly walked into the room and looked around. It was a quaint little room, perfect for a visiting guest.

"Over the generations, the Phantomhives have furnished this room with the finest quality historic pieces," Sebastian explained. "You will find that everything is suitable for a gentlewoman, so please do make yourself at home." Elicia walked towards the fireplace and looked at the several photos on top. Sebastian came to stand next to her. "Ah, I see you are admiring the photographs on the mantle. They are of the previous earl, Vincent Phantomhive, and his lovely wife, Rachel."

"They seem like very pleasant people."

Elicia could see where Ciel got his looks from. He looked a lot like his father. Such a shame he lost them so young in his life.

She could sympathize with him. She tried not to, since having sympathy was dangerous in her line of work, but she could understand the horror of losing parents at such a young age.

"From what I understand, they were prominent figures, much loved by the entire community," Sebastian continued. "They devoted themselves passionately to worthy civil causes, such as aiding the poor and improving medical care of an infrastructure. The Queen evidently placed a great deal of trust in them. You might ask my master for further details at tea this afternoon. For now, though, please make yourself—"

He was cut off as an explosion shook the manor. Sebastian's eyes widened for a moment as he looked in the direction the loud noise had come from.

"What on earth was that?" Elicia asked.

Sebastian looked back at her with a smile. "If you'll please wait here. There's a matter I must attend to."

He calmly departed from the room. Elicia stared after him. Pity she would have to end his life per her orders. He seemed like such a nice man. Under different circumstances, she might've wished for him to court her. Unusual for her to think such a thing, yes, but it was true.

Curious as to what was going on and desiring to get a good look at the manor, Elicia quickly followed in the direction Sebastian had gone, making mental notes of her surroundings along the way. She ended up below the manor where the horrid smell of burning food wafted down the hallway.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," she heard Sebastian say.

"It's this bloody new burner we've got!" another man yelled. "The blasted thing won't work!"

Sebastian turned his head and noticed Elicia standing outside. "Please, miss! Stay back!"

Before Elicia could register what he was doing, Sebastian ran forward and pushed her to the ground, using his body to shield her from another explosion. Elicia's eyes widened a bit at the close contact with him and the awkward position they had landed in.

Loud shouts and screams could be heard from the kitchen as fire erupted from the room.

"My deepest apologies," Sebastian said as he got up. "Are you injured?"

"No, I am all right," Elicia answered, her face feeling rather warm. "Thank you."

Sebastian helped her up into a sitting position.

"That was a close shave, eh?" a charred man smiled as he came to the kitchen doorway, his hair in complete disarray. "We came pretty near to starting a bloody great fire in there."

"You did start a fire!" a woman, presumably the maid, shrieked as she came next to him, just as charred as he was.

"Are you all right?" a young boy asked, quickly running out to join the others. "Sorry, Sebastian." He then noticed Elicia on the floor next to him. "Hello. And who is this?"

Sebastian turned to Elicia and offered his hand. "Miss?" She took his hand, and he helped her up off the floor. "Our visitor is a friend of the Lady Elizabeth. She will be one of our esteemed guests at this evening's ball."

"Oh, my, how lovely!" the boy said excitedly.

"It's always exciting to have a fancy new guest!" the woman added.

"And she's a right pretty little thing, isn't she?" the man smiled.

Elicia looked down bashfully. She always felt a bit withdrawn when people called her pretty. It didn't seem to fit considering what she did to make money and her built-up reputation. However, it certainly made her job easier. People were always more willing to do things for a girl with a pretty face.

"If you'll please follow me," Sebastian said to her. "I'll return you to your bedroom."

Elicia followed the butler back up to the first floor of the manor, taking a quick look around as she did so and making more mental notes of where everything was.

"I am terribly sorry you had to witness that scene," Sebastian said once they had returned to the guest room. "Even more so that you were exposed to danger. I can't possibly apologize enough."

"Oh, it's quite all right. I was lucky enough to have you there."

"Indeed. However, I do recall requesting that you wait for me here. Every household has its secrets, certain places that are not meant to be seen by visitors."

Elicia put her head down in shame and refused to meet his eyes.

 _I'm not just any visitor_ , she thought to herself. _And I need to know this manor's secrets. How else will I complete my job?_

"Strolling uninvited about somebody else's manor strikes me as quite inconsiderate."

"I am terribly sorry," Elicia said quietly as she took a few steps back. "I hope you can forgive me."

Sebastian smiled a little. "However, I certainly understand the curiosity of the young."

 _Young?!_ _You're not that much older than I am!_

Masking her thoughts, Elicia smiled sweetly. "I do apologize. It's just that I have never been in a place like this before."

"Ah, I see. It's your first visit to such a large estate. And your inquisitive nature got the best of you. Rather similar to an innocent puppy who knows no fear."

 _Did he just compare me to a dog?_

Sebastian checked his pocket watch. "We still have a little time before tea. I'd be honored if you'd allow me to show you around the manor. We can assuage your curiosity."

Elicia smiled again. "That would be lovely."

 _Right in the palm of my hand._

"Then with your permission, I shall be your escort for a guided tour. May I take your hand?"

"I would be delighted."

Elicia gave him another sweet smile as she put her hand in his. A small gasp emitted from her mouth as their gloved hands touched. She couldn't describe the feeling, but it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It made her feel…exposed.

It didn't seem like he noticed and for that, she was thankful.

What kind of butler was he?


	2. Chapter 2

Sebastian led Elicia out of the guest room and down the hall. He stopped and opened a door for her.

"Just in here, we have the recreation room."

Elicia stepped inside and began to look around, making more mental notes. The young woman prided herself on her photographic memory. It helped immensely when she was working. She was capable of memorizing nearly anything in a matter of seconds.

"As you can see, it is furnished with a billiard table and other gaming equipment as well as many of the Funtom Company's products. Our goal is to provide guests with ample entertainment."

She looked to her right and saw a man and woman playing cards at a small table against the wall.

"My, who have we here?" the man smiled as he stood up. "It isn't much I know, but do make yourself comfortable. As you can see, the recreation room is furnished with a billiard table and other gaming equipment as well as many of the Funtom Company's products."

This was sounding rather familiar. Elicia looked over and saw the woman at the table look at the man's cards while he spoke. She smiled to herself when the man wasn't looking.

"Our goal is to provide guests with ample entertainment. Please, come take a seat. I'm sure you will enjoy yourself."

Sebastian came to stand next to Elicia. "Thank you for such a detailed explanation of the room, though I must say it sounds familiar as if I've heard it somewhere before," he said, echoing Elicia's earlier thoughts. Elicia smiled as Sebastian turned to look at her. "If you please, this man is Mr. Lau. He is the head of the English branch of a Chinese trading company, Kunlun. Mr. Lau, this is a friend of Lady Elizabeth's. She will be attending the ball tonight."

Mr. Lau smiled and leaned in close to her. "Some advice, miss. Be careful. Phantomhive Manor is absolutely crawling with dangerous beasties." He leaned back which Elicia was glad of because she did not enjoy having her personal space invaded in such a way. "You wouldn't want to be eaten by one, now would you?"

"Of course not," Elicia laughed. "Thank you for the advice, Mr. Lau. I will do my best to heed it."

Sebastian took her hand and led her to the next room.

"May I present to you our library, the pride of the Phantomhive estate."

Elicia was astonished at the sight of so many books. She could stay in here for hours on end and be content. Despite it all, Elicia loved a good book. She did whatever it took to get a new one. It passed the time in between jobs and allowed her to forget what she did for a living. For just a few hours, she was allowed to go to another world where everything was different.

"The family heads have gathered books for generations," Sebastian told her. "The result is a library comparable to those at any university."

A paper airplane sailed through the air and hit Sebastian on the forehead. Elicia did her best to suppress a laugh when she saw his eye twitch in annoyance. If he noticed, he didn't seem to care.

An Indian man with vibrant purple hair came up to the butler. "Ah, brilliant timing! I was growing ever so bored."

Another man with a turban atop his head came up behind the purple-haired one. "Please, Prince Soma, we are in the middle of your studies."

Elicia raised her eyebrows. This purple-haired man was a prince? That was quite impressive that someone like Ciel associated himself with someone so high up in the world.

"Agni, everyone needs a rest now and then."

"And from what I can see, it seems you were studying quite diligently," Sebastian remarked, noticing the torn out page of the book he was reading. "A friend of Lady Elizabeth's is visiting today for tea. She will also be attending the ball later this evening."

Agni looked behind Sebastian so he could see Elicia. "Is this her, Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked at Elicia. "Miss, please allow me to introduce you to a friend of my master's, the 26th child of the king of Bengal, Prince Soma Asman Kadar, and his very capable butler, Agni."

"Namaste jī," Agni said as he pressed his hands together and bowed his head. She noticed his right hand was covered in bandages, and she couldn't help but wonder why that was.

"Prince Soma, Agni, this is—"

"Beautiful," Soma finished.

"Sire?" Agni said in surprise.

"Oh!" Soma leaned in close to Elicia, a blush on his cheeks. Elicia leaned back a little at the sudden invasion of her personal space yet again. "Hello, miss, I am Prince Soma! I fancied you immediately. Would you like to be my handmaiden?" He leaned back and looked away from her, the blush even deeper on his face. "Or if you'd prefer it…my…my wife."

Elicia's eyes widened a little. Ciel Phantomhive surrounded himself with rather unusual people. In moments such as this, she rather hated her pretty face.

"Oh, Prince Soma!" Agni exclaimed, tears beginning to pour down his face. "At last! You've finally found your soulmate! Your true love! Your happiness is mine, and it almost overwhelms me! Oh, Kali, I implore you, bless these two young people, and grant them a long life together!"

"Agni…"

The two men embraced as they began crying. Elicia looked up at Sebastian and silently begged for help.

"I fear you may be making the young lady uncomfortable," Sebastian told the weeping men. "Perhaps you could propose at a later date?" He looked down at his pocket watch then at Elicia. "It's almost time for tea, miss. You must be thirsty. Shall we?"

Sebastian took her hand once more and led her out to the garden. Everyone gathered at a small tea table set up beautifully for the guests in attendance.

"May I?"

The butler pulled out a chair for Elicia, and she took her seat. He then went over to a cart and began pouring tea for everyone.

"Today, we have Nilgiri tea. I expect you will appreciate its refreshing aroma and its rich flavor."

"Nilgiri, huh?" Soma remarked. "It brings back memories."

"If I'm correct, 'Nilgiri' means 'blue mountain'," Lau explained. "This batch fetches an especially good price."

Sebastian set out plates along with the tea. "Accompanying the tea is a Dundee cake. This treat is made from a batter of rum and various dried fruits, studded with roast almonds."

"Oh, it looks delicious!" Elizabeth squealed.

Elicia gently grasped the teacup and was about to take a sip when she noticed what was on the side. She held it up to her eye level. It had a beautiful rose painted intricately onto the fine china.

It reminded her of a tea set she had once used when she was a little girl…

"Hm, not bad," Ciel commented after taking a bite of the cake.

"Thank you, my lord," Sebastian said with a small bow. He looked over at Elicia. "I cannot help but notice how you're admiring that teacup, miss."

Elizabeth looked at the teacup. "Hm? Is that…Oh, my!"

"Yes, it's a Vienna Rose. I thought the flower on the cup would set off the loveliness of the young lady to advantage."

"Good heavens! It's genuine?!"

"Yes, apparently it was one of Empress Maria Theresa's favorite pieces," Ciel answered.

"A fine item befitting the status of an earl," Lau put in. "I can scarcely imagine what it would be worth on the market."

Feeling slightly overwhelmed with her confusing emotions and the unusually happy memory, Elicia went to go put the teacup back on the saucer. But she was a bit too out of it for her to completely process what she was doing, and she accidently spilled the tea in the cup all over the front of her dress. She quickly stood up in embarrassment as everyone at the table gasped.

"Oh, goodness!" Elizabeth cried.

"This is no good," Sebastian muttered.

"Indeed," Lau added. "It would be criminal to chip a cup as priceless as that one."

So far out of all the people she had met that day, Lau was Elicia's least favorite person which was saying something because she didn't really care for anyone at the table.

"Sebastian, would you see that she's all right and prepare her a fresh change of clothing?" Ciel ordered. "The frock in the dressing room should do nicely."

Sebastian looked at Ciel in surprise. "That dress, master? Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine."

"Very good." He knelt down next to Elicia. "Pardon me, miss. If you don't mind, I'll help you inside."

Elicia gasped as he hefted her up into his arms. She hoped nobody, especially him, noticed that she was blushing terribly, something she wasn't sure she had ever done before. She hadn't been expecting this to happen. It was quite embarrassing, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

Sebastian carried her inside the manor and up to the guest room. Elicia's heart was hammering in her chest at their closeness and the feeling of someone carrying her without ill intentions in mind.

 _Snap out of it!_ she chided herself. _You're working! Not to mention you have orders to kill this man!_


	3. Chapter 3

Once inside the guest room, Elicia removed her bonnet as Sebastian set out a lovely blue dress on the couch. She recognized it as the dress Ciel's mother had worn in the picture on the mantle.

He was letting her wear this…?

"Ordinarily, I would never consider intruding upon a young lady's dressing routine, however we have no handmaiden to help, and this is an emergency."

When Elicia looked up at Sebastian, she saw that he had tied a black blindfold around his eyes. She quietly groaned to herself when she realized what this meant for her.

Sebastian grasped her sleeves and skillfully flung her dress over her head and off her body to reveal her white corset underneath. Elicia blushed even harder. Even though Sebastian couldn't see her, she was still alone in a room with a man in an extremely improper state of undress which was bringing back memories she had spent a long time trying to expel from her mind.

Sebastian grabbed the blue dress from the couch. "I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

As he helped her put the blue dress on, Elicia tried her best to stay calm and collected which was getting increasingly difficult. She silently took back everything she said about this job being easy.

 _I better be getting paid extra for this._

Finally, Sebastian finished putting on the dress and took off his blindfold. Elicia turned to look at herself in the mirror. She sighed a little when she saw how red her face was. She tried her best to will the blush away before Sebastian noticed. However, if the previous events of today were any proof, he probably wouldn't care even if he did notice.

Despite everything, Elicia had to admit that the dress was absolutely stunning. She had never owned anything like it before. It complimented her figure so well. She actually felt…beautiful.

Her loose piece of long brown hair sat over her shoulder showing just how long her hair really was.

Sebastian came up behind her and clasped a beautiful pearl necklace around her neck. Then he put a pearl headband on her head that had a large flower on the left side while the pearls came down past her left ear.

Sebastian leaned down and fluffed out the bottom of the dress. "There we are. That should do nicely." He stood back up straight. "Perhaps the teacup was too heavy for a young lady as delicate as yourself."

 _Delicate?! I'm not so weak I can't hold a teacup! Just what do you take me for?!_

"I apologize for making such a grievous blunder."

Elicia smiled sweetly at him even though she really just wanted to end his life for making such a comment. "It's quite all right. There was no harm done."

"If it doesn't displease you, my master would like you to have this dress as a token of our hospitality. Please accept it with our compliments."

Elicia's head snapped over to him in surprise. "Ciel is…is giving this dress to me? But…why? Why would you both go to such lengths for someone like me? You only just met me today. You don't even know me."

"Why would we go to such lengths, you ask? Because you are an honored visitor, and the Phantomhives are famed for taking care of their guests." As Elicia's head began to spin with confusion, Sebastian looked at his pocket watch. "Goodness, look at the time. This evening's attendees will be arriving any moment now. I must excuse myself, miss. Would you be so kind as to wait in the guest room with Lady Elizabeth?"

"Of course. Thank you for your help, Sebastian."

Sebastian gave her a polite bow before departing from the room. As soon as he was gone, she released a large breath. If she had to keep up this façade for much longer, she was going to rip her hair out. She couldn't stand being thought of as delicate and fragile. She was anything but that! It was times like these she especially hated her job.

Her strange and unfamiliar feelings towards Sebastian were not helping her case. She was breaking the most important rule of her job. She was allowing herself to develop an attachment to her targets.

This was not good.

Elicia went to the front window of the manor and saw Ciel and Sebastian down by the door greeting the arriving guests.

A man Elicia recognized from Scotland Yard rushed over to the boy. "Sorry to barge in like this."

"Why, Inspector Abberline," Sebastian greeted.

Elicia knew Abberline. They had been playing a wonderful game of cat-and-mouse for the past few years ever since she started her work. Despite it all, she loved to get the young detective so worked up and frustrated. Sometimes she would dangle the evidence he needed to catch her just in front of his face before quickly snatching it away. His reactions were so comical, it almost made her line of work worth it.

"What brings the Yard to my ball, Inspector?" Ciel asked.

"I'm here on patrol," Abberline answered. "There have been a number of suspicious disappearances at balls lately."

"Disappearances?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yes, that's right. The cowardly scoundrel targets only young maidens. It's simply unforgiveable, but you can be certain Scotland Yard will catch him."

Elicia smirked a little. Scotland Yard was useless. They wouldn't catch this man. They couldn't even catch her.

It was funny to her really. The assassin Abberline had been hunting for so long was a mere twenty feet away from him and he had no idea at all.

Elicia began to think about this new criminal Abberline has talked about. Surely she wouldn't be the target of this person. One doesn't take down assassins easily after all.

She began making her way down the hall until she found Ciel's phone.

"It's all set," she said to the person who had hired her. "Everything's going according to plan."

"So you've successfully infiltrated their ranks. Good. To think it only took a month for you to get an invitation to Phantomhive manor. That girl is a bloody fool for believing you to be a respectable young lady."

 _Just what is that supposed to mean? I can be a respectable young lady if I want to!_

"Well, you know your job. Kill that butler and bring Ciel Phantomhive to me at once. The butler uses strange tricks, so watch out."

 _He uses tricks all right. I still can't figure out why he makes me feel the way I do._

"We will avenge Azurro and the Ferro family! I suppose tonight, we shall find out just how expert an assassin you are, the 'Mad Dog of Venezia'."

Elicia hung up the phone. Everyone always wanted her help to exact vengeance in one way or another. Someone was always responsible for something. What a world she lived in…

She reached into her dress and pulled out her switchblade. It was a pink, jeweled knife, one that had ended countless lives. She would never forget her first kill. It was the person who was responsible for killing her mother and father and selling her body to be used as entertainment. It still made her nauseous whenever she thought back to what he had forced her to endure.

Killing him had almost seemed too easy. He had been utterly defenseless. She had to admit, the sight and the feel of the hot blood on her hands was a bit much to take in at first.

But she would never forget the euphoria of being free from the awful prison. The whole incident gave her a sense of power. She was no longer a defenseless little girl people could take advantage of to their hearts desire. No one could mess with her or her body ever again. No one could ever take anything else from her. From now on, she was the one in control.

"So this is where you disappeared to," Sebastian's voice said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Elicia flinched a little and quickly put the switchblade back in her dress. She turned around to face Sebastian. He had a look in his eye that told her he knew too much. All the more reason for her to kill him.

"Forgive me, miss, but the ball is about to begin."

Elicia smiled. "Thank you. I was just making a call to a dear friend of mine. She was ever so excited to hear that I got invited to Phantomhive Manor."

"I see."

"I shall go meet with Elizabeth. We'll come down together."

"Very good, miss."

Elicia returned to the guest room and heard Elizabeth screeching, "Tighter! Make it tighter! Tonight is special! I want to look my best!"

"I'm trying, my lady!" her maid, Paula, responded.

Elizabeth turned around to find Elicia at the doorway. "Oh, hello, my dear!"

"Hello, Elizabeth. If I may, you might want to close the door when you're dressing. Allow me."

She went over to the young girl and began tying up the corset even tighter than it was before.

"You're simply wonderful! Is there anything you can't do?" Elizabeth gushed.

Elicia tied the strings of the corset before Paula helped Elizabeth into her dress. It was a pretty pink and brown that she wore with brown gloves.

"Look at my darling new dress!" She happily twirled around. "Well? It's adorable, right?

"Yes, you look beautiful," Elicia smiled.

"And you're ever so cute as usual, I see!" Her eyes widened once she registered what Elicia was wearing. "That dress…" Her gaze wandered over to the photo on the mantle, and she realized they were one and the same. "It suits you so well! You're a vision! We'll have to make certain that Ciel sees you in it at the ball. He'll think it looks beautiful…"

Elicia went to take Elizabeth's outstretched hands, but the young girl collapsed in front of her before she could do so.

"My lady?" Paula exclaimed.

She too collapsed next to Elizabeth. Elicia frantically looked at the two girls on the floor in front of her. When she looked up, there was some kind of strange purple mist floating around her room. To her horror, her vision began to go fuzzy and she felt very dizzy.

"No need to be afraid…" a voice echoed behind her.

Elicia's legs wobbled under her and she began to waver.

The last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was thinking, _I am definitely charging them extra_.

A man dressed in a white suit entered the room and though there were three women on the ground, his eyes were only on one. He knelt down by the unconscious Elicia and gently took her chin in his hands.

"Ah, so lovely, even in sleep," he mused. "After so long, you're mine. I have you at last, my darling song thrush."


	4. Chapter 4

"She's vanished?!" Ciel exclaimed in his private study. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know!" Elizabeth wailed, tears pouring down her cheeks. "She's just gone!"

Paula wrapped her arms around her to console her. "Oh, my lady."

Sebastian leaned in close to Paula. "Escort Lady Elizabeth to the guest room. I'll be up shortly with a glass of warm milk for her."

"Alright." Paula turned back to Elizabeth. "There, there, my lady. Let's go now."

Paula and Elizabeth left the room as Elizabeth continued to cry. Ciel put his elbows on his desk and folded his hands together in concern.

"I found signs that a sleep-inducing gas was pumped into the room where the ladies dwelt," Sebastian explained.

"So first he put her to sleep, and then he carried her off," Ciel put together. "He's a bold thief to act in the middle of a party like this. And he managed to give you the slip."

Sebastian bowed apologetically. "I apologize, my lord, but if I may remind you, you had ordered me to entertain this evening's guests."

"Having a guest taken from my own manor would tarnish my name, not to mention my reputation as the Queen's guard dog. Your order, Sebastian: I want the girl returned!"

Sebastian placed his hand across his chest and bowed. "Yes, my lord."

* * *

Viscount of Druitt, Aleistor Chamber, stroked Elicia's face as she sat unconscious in a wheelchair, her head resting on her chest and her arms lying limp on the armrests.

"Alone at last, my song thrush," Aleistor crooned. "You stole my heart the day I set eyes upon you. From our very first meeting, I knew! I knew that someday, you'd be mine." He began rubbing her hair. "What a sinful little bird you are. Inflaming my passions with such wild abandon." He pressed his face against her hair, holding her close and breathing in her scent. "Don't worry, dear. No one will find us. We're safe here on the luxury liner that I built just for you. I call it Song Thrush's Warble!" With excited fervor, he stood up. "We're free, my love! We can do anything! Come, let us run away to paradise!"

"You can go wherever you'd like…alone."

Aleistor looked to the doorway to find Sebastian standing there with a suave smile on his face, presenting himself as confident as ever.

"The butler!" he exclaimed.

"So you're our kidnapper, Lord Druitt."

"My mistress, the goddess of beauty, has dubbed me Masque de Vicomte!"

He grabbed Elicia from the chair and held her limp body in one arm. With his free hand, he aimed his gun at Sebastian and fired.

Sebastian took out a spoon and used it to deflect the bullet. "I'll be taking the young lady back now, Mr. Masque de Vicomte."

Aleistor frowned. "Truest love is often forbidden. There is only one thing to do." He took out a bottle with a picture of a skull on it. "Say goodbye!"

"Ah, so it's poison then."

Aleistor smiled at Elicia. "We'll go out together, my song thrush. To heaven where not a soul can follow us!"

He started to take off the cork with his mouth, but before he could do so, the door was kicked down rather forcefully.

"Over my deadly body, dear!" Sebastian sighed when he recognized the newest intruder with the horridly annoying voice. "She's not on the schedule until tomorrow, you see. So I'm afraid you can't kill her yet."

"Hello, Grell," Sebastian sighed.

Grell looked over at Sebastian and immediately started fawning over him as usual. "Why, if it isn't my Bassy! My, what a coincidence running into you!"

While Grell was busy hugging the butler much to his dismay, Aleistor opened a secret panel on the wall that revealed a lever. He pulled the lever down and gas began filling up the room that blocked Sebastian's view of Elicia.

"I won't let you stand in the way of our love!" Aleistor yelled.

When the gas cleared, Aleistor and Elicia were gone.

"Where did he go?" Sebastian murmured.

Aleistor held Elicia close to him atop the crow's nest, her arms outstretched as her head continued to rest on her chest. "We're together. There's nothing to fear," he said in her ear.

Sebastian and Grell ran onto the deck to see Aleistor holding lit dynamite in his hand.

"He means to take the young woman along with him?" Grell exclaimed. "Well, what a bloody great bother!"

Aleistor raised his head to the sky. "We who have been cruelly denied our love on earth shall be wed at long last in Heaven! Like Tristan and Isolde before us." He moved Elicia's head up to face him and leaned in close to her. "Let us pass from this world together, my love. Soon eternity will be ours."

Sebastian pulled out a knife. "I believe I already told you." He threw the knife up and sliced through the fuse of the dynamite as Grell began swooning. "Go anywhere and you go alone, sir."

"You amaze me as always," Grell gushed. He readied his Death Scythe. "My body thrills and throbs fueling my fight with passion for you!"

He cut the mast at the bottom, and the crow's nest began falling towards the ocean.

"Oh, dear. Falling!" Aleistor gasped.

He and Elicia began tumbling towards the ocean as the rope ladder that led to the crow's nest snapped. Without a moment of hesitation, Sebastian ran up the falling mast and caught the unconscious Elicia in his arms. Then he jumped onto Aleistor in the air, using his body to propel himself back onto the deck.

"Sweet song thrush!" Aleistor cried. "Never forget me! I love—"

He was cut off as he landed into the ocean.

Grell smiled from on top of the cut mast. "Servant of a goddess or not, a fop like that never stood a chance against the likes of us, eh?"

* * *

Having drifted in and out of consciousness for the past hour or so, Elicia had only been faintly aware of what was happening to her. She recalled hearing the words 'song thrush' repeatedly. What even was a song thrush?

Some assassin she was. Kidnapped right out of her target's home with knockout gas. This was a very large blow to her pride.

A splitting headache greeted her as she finally began to regain some sense of her surroundings.

She forced her eyes open and found herself looking right into the devilish crimson eyes of Sebastian. When she realized that he was once again holding her in his arms, she quickly turned a deep shade of red.

"It appears she's finally awakening," he said tenderly. "You're all right. Thank goodness."

He spoke with such tenderness and concern. She couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken like that to her. It made Elicia once again question her reasons for not hating this man.

"What about little old me, Bassy?" Elicia looked in front of her and saw a person with the wildest red hair she had ever seen. "I'm so exhausted after all that fighting. I may faint right where I'm standing. Would you hold me?"

Sebastian took a step back when Grell came towards him. Suddenly, Grell got hit in the back of the head with what looked like a pruner. Elicia's eyes widened a little as blood began spurting from the wound. However, they couldn't stay wide for long as the action made her head hurt even worse.

"Good grief," the man with the pruner muttered in a very monotone voice as he adjusted his glasses. "I cannot believe I had to come out here."

"Will?!" Grell exclaimed, the blood flow beginning to cease.

"Must you always mess about before actually getting your work done, Sutcliff?"

"Oh, how I would love to mess about with Bassy! We could do some very messy things together." Elicia smiled a little as Sebastian's eye twitched again. "Wait a second, I am working!" Grell held up his book for Will to see. "Here, look!"

Will stepped forward to look at what Grell was holding. Then he looked at Elicia before looking closer at the book. "Would you be kind enough to tell me your name?" he asked her.

"Uh, Elicia."

"Hm." Will took a step back before stabbing Grell in the forehead with his pruner.

Grell cried out in pain and fell backwards, more blood gushing from his forehead. "Why did you do that?!"

"Punishment for incompetence. This soul isn't scheduled for death."

 _I suppose that's good to know,_ Elicia thought. _But how would he know that? Unless..._

"Eh?"

"Look closely at the spelling. The two names are one letter off. You have the wrong person."

Grell took a closer look at his book. "Oh, dear, how silly of me."

"Honestly, I tire of having such a thick-skulled employee. We're leaving. If we dawdle long, the soul we're actually scheduled to reap tonight may be stolen away as well…by some demon."

Elicia furrowed her eyebrows as she looked from Will to Sebastian. There was a clear insinuation in Will's voice towards Sebastian that she wasn't sure she could fully comprehend.

"Do try to be careful on your travels," Sebastian smiled. "I hear the sea at night can be dangerous."

As Will and Grell hopped into a lifeboat, Sebastian gently put Elicia down on the deck and went to the side of the ship.

"Start paddling," Will ordered. "On the double."

"Must you always be such a slave-driver?" Grell grumbled. "Ta-ta, Bassy, my scrumptious noodlekins!"

Elicia looked up at Sebastian with a hint of amusement, still questioning if what she had just seen was real or if the mysterious gas was still messing with her mind and presenting her with wild hallucinations.

Sebastian sighed with a light smile. "Shall we head back now? The ball awaits. Though best to keep the events of the evening to yourself, I think."

"Since I'm not exactly sure what just happened, I have to agree," Elicia responded.

This had been a very, very long day. And unfortunately for Elicia, it wasn't over yet.


	5. Chapter 5

Sebastian steered the boat back to the harbor and then helped Elicia into an awaiting carriage. Once they arrived back at the manor, Sebastian helped her out.

"If you please, miss."

Once more, Sebastian swept her up into his arms. If he did this again, Elicia was going to have a very hard time keeping her composure. Her face was already very red, and her heart was racing at a thousand beats per second.

She still couldn't understand why he had this effect on her. Elicia couldn't remember a time when she was attracted to a man. Ever since her parents' death and her capture, she hated men for what they did to defenseless women.

Something about Sebastian pulled her in. She couldn't really say what it was, but there was just something about him. Something…very, very different.

Sebastian carried her to the guest room as all of those she had met at the manor rushed to the butler at the sight of her in his arms, frantically asking if she was okay.

"Oh, you poor dear!" Elizabeth gushed once she was in bed. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"Come," Ciel said to his fiancée. "We should let her rest for a while."

Elizabeth nodded, and the people in the room quickly departed.

"What a terrible ordeal for such a delicate young lady," she heard Lau say.

Elicia rolled her eyes at hearing her described as delicate again.

"But she is so lovely, I can see why a man would want to take her," Soma added.

That was the downside to being a pretty young woman. Men thought they could just do whatever they wanted with her as if her feelings didn't matter.

Sebastian had told her it was the Viscount of Druitt who was responsible for her kidnapping. She recalled meeting the Viscount at a ball she had attended with Elizabeth a couple weeks ago. Right away, she had disliked the man and his constant attempts to flirt with her when she had made it clear that she wasn't interested. It didn't help that she had heard about him going to prison for selling women to the highest bidder, but he was able to bribe his way out. After learning that, she wanted to kill him more than anything.

She had no idea he would go so far as to kidnap her and then attempt to kill her when they couldn't be together. It was rather unfortunate she had been drugged. If she had been awake and alert, his life would've ended within minutes after she laid eyes on him.

Elicia looked up at the top of the bed with a sigh. She knew what she had to do now.

The young woman lifted the sheet off her body and got out of bed. She quietly padded down the hallway to the study where she would find Ciel.

Opening the door slowly so as not to awake the sleeping boy, Elicia stepped inside the room and took a quick glance around to make sure she was alone.

She reached into her dress and pulled out her switchblade. She pressed the button that revealed the knife with what was usually a rather satisfying _swish_. Then she slowly began to walk towards the young boy.

"You really mustn't wake him."

Elicia nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Sebastian's voice. Though frustrated at his sudden appearance, perhaps it would be easier to just kill him here now and steal Ciel all while the boy was still asleep.

Elicia turned around to face Sebastian, making sure to keep her switchblade out of his sight, as he walked towards Ciel.

"I was just coming to thank Ciel for sending you to come save me this evening," she told him with a sweet smile.

Sebastian's face remained expressionless, something that was rather terrifying. "He's rather quite exhausted. While I was away, my young master was forced to entertain all the guests. That's taxing enough, but he also took great pains to keep anyone from learning what happened. The excitement has worn him out." He gently placed a blanket over Ciel. "Sincerest apologies, my lord."

He looked up at Elicia, and she saw that he stared right at her right hand which she had hidden behind her dress. Her heart was beginning to hammer in her chest again and not because of her attraction towards him this time.

"Miss, you look confused. Is something wrong?"

He smirked a little which terrified her even more than his expressionless face. This smirk was not like his usual polite self. This was one that told her that he had the full intention of killing her.

Sebastian began walking towards her. "Perhaps it would clear things up if I told you that I listened to your entire clandestine phone call."

Elicia's breathing picked up. This was bad. If he knew about her plans, it would be a lot harder to kill him and take Ciel. After all, the person who had hired her told her multiple times that Sebastian was no ordinary butler and that it would not be an easy kill. That was why she tried so hard to keep him in the dark.

"Such a lithe figure," Sebastian said smoothly. "And the heavy scent of death rises from your skin like perfume. But still…I admit the Ferros chose well hiring you as their assassin. You played a good game, using innocent Lady Elizabeth to infiltrate Phantomhive Manor. This explains your awkwardness at tea today."

Elicia's hand clenched around her switchblade angrily. Mysterious attraction or not, she couldn't take this man putting her down any longer. All day, she had had to put up with his comments about her delicacy, him changing her dress, and him constantly scrambling her emotions to the point where she didn't know how she felt even now.

Enough was enough.

She quickly rammed her switchblade towards his chest, hoping for a quick kill like the others she had killed before him. After all, the reason she was such a good assassin was because of her incredible speed.

No such luck.

Sebastian miraculously was faster than her and caught her wrist in his hand. Elicia winced as he tightened his grip.

"I'm glad I decided to give you a private tour," he smirked. "It enabled you to find your way to this room where I can easily dispose of you with no one noticing."

His grip on her wrist tightened even more, causing tears to form in her eyes as a reflex to the searing pain. She felt sure that he was going to break her wrist if she didn't get out of his surprisingly strong grip soon. She dropped the switchblade to the ground, unable to hold onto it any longer because of the pain.

She pulled away from him in an attempt to get out of his grasp. He pulled her back towards him and turned her around so that one hand could tightly grip her other wrist while his other arm went around her neck.

Had his eyes just glowed?!

"Why wherever do you think you're going, miss?"

His hand moved towards her neck, and she felt him begin to squeeze. Her windpipe began to get crushed as it got increasingly harder for her to breathe.

This was it. She was going to die here at the hands of a butler. But not just some ordinary butler. That much was certain to her now.

Perhaps it was better this way. After all, it was clear that she could not kill Sebastian. He was too quick and skilled for even an expert assassin like her. That meant the Ferro family would kill her anyway once they found out she failed.

At least this way, Sebastian would make her death quick and relatively painless in comparison.

"Sebastian? Have I been sleeping?"

Sebastian released Elicia and she quickly inhaled a sharp breath of air and put her hand to her neck. Ciel would never realize that he had just unintentionally saved the person who had been trying to kidnap him.

Elicia took a couple more deep breaths, trying to cope with what had just occurred. Never before had she been so close to death.

"Yes, indeed," Sebastian answered as he turned around. "With your mouth hanging open, I might add."

"Well, you could've woken me up then. Or did you want a laugh?" His eye softened a bit when he noticed Elicia. "Our guest. Good evening."

Elicia quickly put on her sweet smile she had been giving everyone since she had arrived and turned to face Ciel, hoping he didn't notice how her hands were slightly trembling.

"She's come to offer her thanks," Sebastian told him.

"Oh, I see. Well…" Ciel came around his desk to stand in front of Elicia. "I'm sincerely sorry. You have suffered terribly as a direct result of the subpar security at my manor."

 _I've suffered worse before…_

"As the head of house Phantomhive, I accept full responsibility for this lapse." He held out his hand for her. "If you can forgive me, please take my hand. You see, the evening is young still, and the ball in your honor has even yet to begin."

Elicia felt a stab of guilt, something she hadn't felt in years. Ciel Phantomhive was not at all like the Ferros had told her.

She slowly put her hand in his and let him escort her to the ballroom. She was too disoriented to do anything else at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

This day had not gone the way Elicia had wanted it to. She had just expected to kill the butler, take the young boy, get paid, and get everything over with quickly. Instead she had been abducted, nearly killed twice, and her patience had been severely tested several times. And now even after all that…she was still having second thoughts.

Still holding her hand, Ciel opened the doors to the ballroom.

"Happy birthday!" Elizabeth squealed.

The lights in the room came on, and Elicia was greeted with several smiling faces ready to celebrate her 'birthday' with her.

"I present to you all today's guest of honor!" Ciel announced.

Ciel released her hand, and she slowly walked forward through the crowd of guests.

"My, my, what do we have here?" Lau asked. "That dress suits you splendidly."

"Look, dear," Elizabeth said with a large smile. "All of these people gathered here just for you to celebrate your special day!"

Sebastian came up and stood behind her, his looming presence causing her heartbeat to speed up. He leaned down and said quietly in her ear, "My young master and Lady Elizabeth have been secretly planning this all along. A special surprise party for your birthday. Naturally, I assume the date you gave Lady Elizabeth wasn't your real birthday at all."

He was right. The date she had given Elizabeth was actually the day she had killed her parents' murderer and gained her freedom which in her mind was a more commemorative day than the day she was born.

"Today has become a celebratory day nonetheless, not only for Lady Elizabeth, but for the entire Phantomhive household as well."

"Sebastian!"

Elicia turned to find the three staff members from earlier. They all looked much better now that they all weren't burnt to a crisp.

"Here it is!" the cook stated.

"Thanks for waiting!" the young boy added.

Elicia's eyes couldn't help but widen at the sight of the four-tier cake. She had never seen something so extravagant for just a birthday party. And they had made it for _her_? Someone they had only known for less than a day?

In actuality, Elicia hadn't celebrated her birthday in several years. She could barely even remember the date of it. She had forgotten what it was like to celebrate such a day. To have people around to desire to celebrate with her and be eager to make a large cake just for her.

"Oh, it's amazing!" Elizabeth gushed.

"I hope you like it, miss," Sebastian said to a stunned Elicia. "We were determined to make a memorable cake for you."

"All right, Sebastian! It's time for you to start singing!"

"Me, sing? Lady, I couldn't."

"It's only proper for someone to sing when there's a birthday cake. Please, Sebastian! Do it for my friend!"

"I couldn't possibly refuse a request from you, Lady Elizabeth. I shall do as you wish."

Elicia's breath hitched in her throat as Sebastian began to sing softly, the spaciousness of the ballroom adding reverb to his smooth voice.

" _It's your birthday, my dear. Older by one more year. This special day you turn nineteen, may you live out your dreams._ "

Despite everything that had occurred just a few minutes ago, Elicia couldn't deny that butterflies began to fly around in her stomach as she listened to Sebastian's gentle voice sing sweetly to her. Was there anything the man couldn't do?

Elicia knew that Sebastian was just guessing her age. She was actually 21, but it didn't seem like the best time to correct him.

Everyone applauded the butler's song.

Elicia didn't understand why Elizabeth and Ciel would go to all this trouble for her. It didn't make any sense. Ciel had only met her that day, and yet he was giving her a dress and throwing her a party.

The young woman had never felt more confused…

As the guests began to mingle with one another, Elicia hung back and tried to figure out what exactly she was feeling.

Her mission has been rather simple. Get inside Phantomhive Manor, kill the butler, and capture the earl. It wasn't the hardest job she had ever been hired to do. So why did this job feel impossible for her to complete?

For that matter, why did she still not hate Sebastian? What was it about him that made it impossible for her to hate him?

"Pardon me, miss."

Oh, lovely. Just the person she didn't want to see.

Elicia turned and saw Sebastian standing next to her with a plate of her cake in his hand.

"Your wrist must still hurt from where I gripped it," he said with a calm smile.

 _Of course it still hurts. You nearly snapped the bone in two!_

"Let me assist you. I'll cut off a nice little bite for you to nibble upon, shall I?"

Elicia gritted her teeth as he cut a small portion from the slice he was holding. He was pushing her buttons and he knew it.

"You must have some. It was baked especially for you. Here, say 'ah'."

Elicia glared at him, seeing no need to pretend she was a lady for him any longer. But in order to keep up appearances for the rest of the attendees, she took a bite of the cake from the fork he had held out for her.

It was humiliating.

Her credibility as an assassin was dropping by the second.

The orchestra hired for the event began to play a beautiful song that floated all around the room.

"Ah, the dancing has begun!"

Elicia looked out at the ballroom and saw everyone dancing with one another. Ciel was dancing with Elizabeth, and the young woman had to admit that the two of them dancing together was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. They really did make an adorable couple.

"Goodness, look at that," Sebastian said as he took out a pair of glasses. "It appears you and I are the only ones without partners."

 _I don't like where this is going._

He put the glasses on and tucked a portion of his hair behind his ear before turning to face her. "I'd be happy to lead you through the steps if you would care for instruction. I dare say you haven't had much experience with balls."

Elicia closed her eyes and sighed heavily. He had a point. She had never danced formally at a ball before. At the ones she had previously attended, she was usually so focused on getting close to her target that she didn't have time for a dance. Not only that, but she repulsed the idea of dancing with the men at those balls. Those men only wanted her for her looks.

But it would look bad if she didn't dance at her own party.

Begrudgingly, she took Sebastian's outstretched hand, and he led her onto the floor with the other dancing couples.

Elicia felt a shiver course through her body as she felt Sebastian place his hand on her waist. He slowly led her in small circles in a traditional ballroom dance.

"That's it, stay relaxed," Sebastian said gently. "Imagine the calm you feel when you're killing someone."

"You think I'm calm when I do my job?" Elicia asked sharply. "You don't know me at all, Sebastian Michaelis. While I admit that it got easier as the years went by, I am rarely, if ever, calm. There's always the threat that I'll get caught or that my target will be able to overpower me. I must congratulate you. You were the first one to ever be able to do so."

Sebastian smirked a little. "You look confused again. You want to know why I haven't killed you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Well, I have my duties as a Phantomhive butler which include making sure this ball goes well. I don't care very much for the idea of sullying my perfectly planned ball with human blood, and my master ordered me to give you true Phantomhive hospitality. For the moment at least, that means not killing you. Come after him any other time, and you will die. But for now, as long as you're a guest here, I'll continue to treat you according to my master's wishes. Do you understand? If so, give a little yelp. Say 'woof' just like a dog."

Elicia rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw. "Woof."

Sebastian chuckled lightly. "I'm glad to hear it. This will remain a little secret between us then, agreed?"

"You really enjoy comparing me to a dog, don't you?"

"Well, that is your professional name, isn't it?"

"Yes, although I must say that I'm not quite sure how that name came about, and I never really was fond of it."

"Is that so?"

"What woman wants to be compared to a dog? Not even an assassin wants that."

"If you despise it so much, then why did you make your way down this road to begin with?"

"You think I wanted this? I did what I had to do to earn my freedom. You will never know the shame of having your body paraded about in the most vulgar clothing as if you were nothing more than an item. To have your innocence stripped away from you while you're still too young to fully even understand what is happening. In order to free myself, I had to kill the man keeping me and the others prisoner. When you kill someone like that, people notice. They want to hire you to kill for them. I didn't want to. Until I found out what they were offering me. I needed the money to survive."

As a demon, Sebastian never felt the usual human emotions such as sadness, regret, or guilt. Yet in this moment, he felt something he didn't even know was possible for him to feel. He felt pity. Pity for the young woman in front of him who, much like his young master, had been forced into a life she never could have foreseen. Forced to do things she never should've been forced to do. An assassin who simply longed for a normal life again.

He felt anger against the people who had forced her into the repulsive trade. Anger towards the people who had turned her into the cold woman he danced with now.

"People usually hire me to kill drug lords, crime bosses, corrupt officials," Elicia continued. "The way the Ferros talked about Ciel, I assumed he was just like them. I can see now that, albeit deep inside him, he does have a good heart." She sighed heavily. "They didn't tell me Ciel was just a young boy." Then she smirked up at Sebastian. "Nor did they tell me his butler was a demon." She chuckled as she saw his eyes widen in surprise. "Yes, I figured out your true identity. Fear not, I shall not tell anyone for I value my life too much. I just wish I had known when I started this job that I didn't have a chance at succeeding."

Sebastian smiled. "Well, if I couldn't stop an expert assassin from kidnapping and killing my young lord, then what kind of a butler would I be really?"

"Honestly, if it wasn't for me running into Grim Reapers earlier, I may not have figured it out. I suppose you can thank that redhead friend of yours."

Sebastian sighed as his eye slightly twitched again. He was going to kill Grell...

"I assume then that you have a Faustian Contract with him. Whatever Ciel wants must be rather important to have a demon helping him. And for the record, my orders weren't to kill him. They were just to capture him and kill you. But how can you kill something that's already dead?"

Sebastian smirked. He rather liked this girl. He wasn't sure how she was so knowledgeable about things like demons and Faustian contracts, and he was rather surprised she had managed to figure it all out even with Grell's poorly timed assistance.

He liked seeing her true self rather than the proper lady she had previously pretended to be. He had to give her credit though. She had managed to fool him for a bit longer than he would've liked to admit.

"Does that mean that you could tell how much you were getting on my last nerve all day?" Elicia asked him.

"Of course I could. It was rather entertaining to toy with your emotions so much."

"You're intolerable. I suppose you truly are…how do you always put it…one heck of a butler."

"Not quite, but close enough."

Elicia smirked up at him. "It's improper for a lady to swear."

Sebastian smiled fondly at her as she laughed lightly. The way they were talking to each other during the dance, one could never guess that they had both tried to kill each other mere minutes before.

Elicia much preferred talking to Sebastian in this way. He _was_ rather intolerable to put up with, but it was so much better than having to put on the façade that she was a sweet little girl when she was really anything but that.

She could rarely talk to anyone as herself. After all, she was constantly disguising her true self in order to finish a job and kill a target.

With Sebastian, she didn't have to pretend. She didn't have to act like she hadn't suffered in the past. She could just finally be herself.

He was the first one in years she had ever revealed her true self to. Maybe that was why she had such a strange attraction to him...

The party soon ended and Sebastian carried a sleeping Elizabeth out to their awaiting carriage. Paula and Elicia followed close behind.

"So fun…lovely party," Elizabeth mumbled in her sleep.

"I must say, Lizzy seems quite taken with you," Ciel said to Elicia as Sebastian prepared the carriage. "And I'm glad to have met you today as well."

 _If Sebastian hadn't interrupted me, you wouldn't be saying that_ …

"I hope you don't mind, but that dress belonged to my late mother. I want you to keep it. It should be worn."

Once again, Elicia was rendered speechless at his graciousness towards someone like her. "Um, thank you, Lord Phantomhive," Elicia mustered out. "I'm very honored you would bestow me with such a lovely gift."

"Pardon me," Sebastian said to Elicia with a small bow. "Your carriage awaits, my lady."

Elicia took Sebastian's hand, and he helped her into the carriage where she sat across from Elizabeth and Paula.

"Thank you for spending your birthday here with us tonight," Ciel smiled to her. "I do hope to see you again."

Sebastian gave her a knowing look. "We'll always be happy to extend the famed Phantomhive hospitality."

"Farewell, Lord Phantomhive," Elicia waved. She gave a knowing look of her own to the demon butler. "And farewell, Sebastian. I have no doubt that we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

"For now, I bid you good night."

Ciel stared at the departing carriage. "That was quite a bother."

"Apologies, my lord," Sebastian answered.

Ciel yawned. "Bloody tired. Bring me some tea."

"Certainly."

Sebastian took one last look at the carriage in the distance. That woman was unlike anyone he had ever met before. There was something very, very different about her that he didn't find often in the people he came in contact with. Even though he was incredibly perceptive, he couldn't seem to figure out what it was about her that drew him to her.

Humans really were quite interesting to him.

Inside the carriage, Elicia looked across from her at the sleeping ladies she had become so close to. She pulled her retrieved switchblade out from her dress.

This small tool had seen far too much misery and death over the years. Holding onto it was just a reminder of all the misfortune she had experienced in the past.

Throughout the day, her strange attraction towards Sebastian reminded her…how much she longed to be loved by someone. How much she craved for someone to desire her for more than just her slender body and beautiful face. She wanted someone who knew about her past and longed to be with her anyway. She wanted someone who accepted every part of her.

As long as she held onto the switchblade, she would just continue to hold onto her anger and resentment as well. And as long as that was the case, she would never get what her heart truly desired.

With an air of finality, she closed the switchblade and tossed it out of the moving carriage window.

How ironic it was really. A demon had helped her see the light.


End file.
